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Created 3/29/16. Updates available online.

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Density: How Does Density Relate to Mass &Volume and an Object's Interaction with Water? A gold star indicates high-quality, inquiry-based activities that follow the PhET design guidelines.



Title Density: How Does Density Relate to Mass &Volume and an Object's Interaction with Water?
Description I plan to use the sim after having done the hands-on Accuracy/Precision Lab. This is an inquiry-based activity that invites students to think about what they already know about density and relate their ideas in context of how an object interacts with water by designing their own experiments and collecting evidence to support their conclusions. There is one version with a lab component after using the sim and one version that is all sim. Learning Goals: Students will be able to use macroscopic evidence to: 1.Measure the volume of an object by observing the amount of fluid it displaces or can displace. 2.Provide evidence and reasoning for how objects of similar: a.mass can have differing volume b.volume can have differing mass. 3.Identify the unknown materials by calculating density using displacement of fluid techniques and reference tables provided in the simulation.
Subject Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics
Level High School, Undergrad - Intro
Type Concept Questions, Homework, Lab
Answers Included No
Language English
Keywords buoyancy, density, displacement, mass, phet, volume
Simulation(s) Density

Author(s) Trish Loeblein
Contact Email patricia.loeblein@colorado.edu
School / Organization PhET
Date submitted 4/22/11
Date updated 7/5/13

Comments

I refer to Density_Concept_Questions.pdf - 459 kB Picture in presentation shows wood of mass 2kg and volume raise 2L and yet floating half submerged? . It is misleading 2. You put in a pool with 100 L of water. Then you drop an wood block in and the volume rises to 102 L. What is the volume of the block? nara   7/2/15

The correct answer to this question is "not enough information". My clicker questions are written to provoke peer discussion. Sometimes, the correct answer is not displayed on purpose.My students encounter many standardized test questions for which the answer is "none of the above" and "more than one of the above", so I write many questions that help them prepare for these questions. I do however make mistakes sometimes and appreciate having them pointed out, so I can fix the question. If you download the ppt file, the answers to the questions are in the "notes" section. If you need more help, please email me at patricia.loeblein@colorado.edu Trish   7/5/15

Comment on this activity

How did you use this activity or change it for your class? Answer keys are often not available because the activities are inquiry based and lead to multiple answers. Professionally constructive comments welcome.

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